Vehicle

ABSTRACT

A vehicle includes a pair of support portions that connect a frame portion and a roll-over protection cage to each other; a cross member that extends in a width direction of the vehicle and connects the pair of support portions to each other at positions higher than centers of the pair of support portions in an up-down direction of the vehicle; a first seat portion, a second seat portion, and a third seat portion in a front row; and a seat belt unit corresponding to the second seat portion. The seat belt unit includes a winding device located at a position lower than a shoulder anchor. The cross member is located between an upper end of the shoulder anchor and a lower end of the winding device in a front view of the vehicle, and supports the shoulder anchor and the winding device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to vehicles, and more specifically to avehicle including a front row and a rear row of seats arranged in afore-aft direction.

2. Description of the Related Art

There is disclosed a large variety of multi-purpose four-wheel vehiclescapable of driving on uneven terrain.

For example, United States Patent Application Laid Open No. 2010/0314191A1 discloses a vehicle, which includes a pair of front wheels, a pair ofrear wheels, a frame, a roll-over protection cage, and seats. The framesupports the front wheels, the rear wheels, the roll-over protectioncage, and the seats. The seats are configured so that two persons sitside by side in a width direction of the vehicle in a front row, and twopersons as well in a rear row.

Aside from such a vehicle described above, there are also vehiclesconfigured so that three persons sit side by side in the width directionof the vehicle in a front row and three persons as well in a rear row. Aproblem, however, with this vehicle is that when the vehicle makesrolling movements, the person sitting in the middle tends to makecontact with the other two persons sitting on his/her sides. This candegrade the riding comfort of the person sitting in the middle.Therefore, a seat belt unit is required for a passenger who sits in themiddle of the front row.

However, there is a problem of where and how to attach a winding deviceand a shoulder anchor of the seat belt unit for the passenger sitting inthe middle of the front row. It is difficult to make an appropriatearrangement to securely attach these members while maintaining theriding comfort of the passengers in the rear row.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide avehicle that allows secure attachment of a winding device and a shoulderanchor of the seat belt unit for the passenger sitting in the middle ofthe front row while maintaining the riding comfort of the passengers inthe rear row.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a vehicleincludes a front row and a rear row arranged in a fore-aft direction ofthe vehicle. The vehicle includes a pair of front wheels; at least apair of rear wheels; a frame portion supporting the pair of front wheelsand the pair of rear wheels; a roll-over protection cage disposed abovethe front row and the rear row, and supported by the frame portion; apair of support portions extending in an up-down direction of thevehicle on a left side and a right side in a width direction of thevehicle, and connecting the frame portion and the roll-over protectioncage to each other; a cross member extending in the width direction ofthe vehicle between the front row and the rear row, and connecting thepair of support portions to each other; a first seat portion, a secondseat portion, and a third seat portion arranged in the width directionof the vehicle in the front row and supported by the frame portion; anda seat belt unit provided to the second seat portion. In this vehicle,the second seat portion is between the first seat portion and the thirdseat portion. The seat belt unit includes a belt member; a windingdevice to wind the belt member; a shoulder anchor slidably supportingthe belt member drawn out of the winding device; and a buckle portionlocated at an obliquely downward position from the shoulder anchor in afront view of the vehicle to fix the belt member. The winding device islocated at a position lower than the shoulder anchor; the cross memberconnects the pair of support portions to each other at a position higherthan centers, in the up-down direction, of the pair of support portions;and the cross member is located between an upper end of the shoulderanchor and a lower end of the winding device in the front view of thevehicle, and supports the shoulder anchor and the winding device.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a pair ofsupport portions that extend in the up-down direction connect the frameportion and the roll-over protection cage to each other, and areconnected to each other by the cross member. This improves the rigidityof the vehicle as a whole and securely fixes the cross member in thevehicle even if the vehicle is increased in size in the fore-aftdirection by including a front row and a rear row arranged in thefore-aft direction. The cross member that is securely fixed in thevehicle is located, in the front view, between an upper end of theshoulder anchor for a passenger sitting at the center in the front rowand a lower end of the winding device therefor. Therefore, it ispossible to dispose both of the shoulder anchor and the winding deviceadjacent the cross member, and to securely support the shoulder anchorand the winding device provided for the passenger in the center of thefront row by the cross member. The cross member extends in the widthdirection of the vehicle between the front row and the rear row, whilethe cross member connects the pair of support portions to each other atpositions higher than the centers, in the up-down direction, of the pairof support portions. This makes it possible to dispose the cross membersufficiently above seat surfaces of the seat portions in the rear row.As a result, it is also possible to dispose the winding device that islocated at a position lower than the cross member, sufficiently abovethe seat surfaces of the seat portions in the rear row; in other words,neither of the cross member and the winding device for the passengersitting at the center in the front row is disposed at a position lowerthan the knees of the passengers sitting in the rear row. Thisarrangement ensures the riding comfort of the passengers in the rearrow. As described above, it is possible to securely attach the windingdevice and the shoulder anchor of the seat belt unit for the passengersitting in the middle of the front row while ensuring the riding comfortof the passengers in the rear row.

Preferably, the vehicle further includes a first support portion that ispreferably U-shaped or substantially U-shaped and includes two endportions connected to the cross member, and a second support portionthat is preferably U-shaped or substantially U-shaped and includes twoend portions connected to the cross member. With the above arrangement,the shoulder anchor is supported by the cross member via the firstsupport portion, and the winding device is supported by the cross membervia the second support portion. In this case, each of the first supportportion and the second support portion is securely connected to thecross member at two locations, i.e., at both end portions thereof. Also,each of the first support portion and the second support portionpreferably has a shape like the letter U. This makes it possible toattach the shoulder anchor to the first support portion so as not toprotrude outward beyond an outer perimeter of the first support portion,and to attach the winding device to the second support portion so as notto protrude outward beyond an outer perimeter of the second supportportion. Therefore, it is possible to protect the shoulder anchor andthe winding device.

Further preferably, the vehicle further includes a grab bar including anend portion attached to the cross member. By attaching an end portion ofthe grab bar to the cross member in such a manner as described above, itis possible to fix the position of the end portion of the grab bar, andto prevent the grab bar from protruding in the width direction of thevehicle.

Further, preferably, the grab bar includes another end portion attachedto the second support portion. In this case, it is possible to mutuallyenhance the connection strength of the grab bar and the second supportportion to the cross member.

Preferably, the vehicle further includes a fastener connecting thesupport portion and the cross member to each other. In this case, it iseasy to remove the cross member from the support portion when thevehicle is to be transported. This makes transportation of the vehicleeasy.

Further preferably, the second seat portion includes a headrest portion,and the cross member overlaps the headrest portion in the front view. Inthis case, it becomes possible to easily support the headrest portion ofthe second seat portion in the front row by the cross member.

Further, preferably, the vehicle further includes a steering wheel infront of the first seat portion, and with this arrangement, the shoulderanchor and the winding device are disposed adjacent the first seatportion in the width direction of the vehicle. In this case, theshoulder anchor and the winding device are on a side closer to the firstseat portion when viewed from the second seat portion, and therefore,the arrangement sufficiently reduces sway of the passenger sitting inthe second seat portion toward the first seat portion. Thus, the driverdrives the vehicle more comfortably.

The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics andadvantages of the present invention will become more apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments withreference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle according to a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the vehicle.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a frame portion.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the frame portion and the roll-overprotection cage.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the frame portion, a front portion ofthe roll-over protection cage, a seat unit in a front row, and theirsurroundings.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the frame portion, the roll-over protectioncage, and their surroundings.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the frame portion, the roll-over protectioncage, and their surroundings.

FIG. 10 is a front view of a cross member and surroundings thereof.

FIG. 11 an illustrative drawing showing an area of connection betweenthe roll-over protection cage and the cross member.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing a seat unit in the front row, seat beltunits, the cross member, and their surroundings.

FIG. 13 is a rear view showing the seat unit in the front row, the crossmember, and their surroundings.

FIG. 14 is a rear view showing the seat belt units in the front row, thecross member, and their surroundings.

FIG. 15 is a front view showing a seat unit in the rear row, the seatbelt units, the cross member, and their surroundings.

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing the seat units in the front row and therear row, the seat belt units, the cross members, and theirsurroundings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed with reference to the drawings. It is noted that the termsfront and rear, right and left, up and down as used in preferredembodiments of the present invention are determined from the driver'sposition on a seat portion 136 of a vehicle 10, with the driver facingtoward a steering wheel 28.

Referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, a vehicle 10 according to apreferred embodiment of the present invention is preferably a four-wheeldrive multi-purpose vehicle configured to haul six people, and includesa front row 12 and a rear row 14 arranged in a fore-aft direction of thevehicle. The vehicle 10 includes a pair of front wheels 16; a pair ofrear wheels 18; a frame portion 20; a roll-over protection cage 22; aseat unit 24 in the front row 12; a seat unit 26 in the rear row 14; asteering wheel 28; a pair of shoulder bolsters 30 a, 30 b for the frontrow 12, a pair of shoulder bolsters 32 a, 32 b for the rear row 14, anda cargo bed 34.

The frame portion 20 supports the pair of front wheels 16, the pair ofrear wheels 18, the roll-over protection cage 22, the seat units 24, 26,the shoulder bolsters 30 a, 30 b, 32 a, 32 b and the cargo bed 34.

Referring to FIG. 5 through FIG. 9, the frame portion 20 includes a mainframe portion 36, a front frame portion 38 in front of the main frameportion 36, and a rear frame portion 40 at a rear of the main frameportion 36. The main frame portion 36 includes a rectangular orsubstantially rectangular plate frame portion 42; a pair of L-shaped orsubstantially L-shaped support frame portions 44 a, 44 b; a pair ofsupport frame portions 46 a, 46 b; a cross member 48; a seat frameportion 50 in the front row; and a seat frame portion 52 in the rearrow.

The pair of support frame portions 44 a, 44 b extend in the fore-aftdirection of the vehicle 10 on both sides of the plate frame portion 42in the width direction of the vehicle 10. The pair of support frameportions 44 a, 44 b include front portions extending obliquely forwardand upward, with their tip portions slightly curving rearward. The pairof support frame portions 46 a, 46 b extend upward while slightlytilting rearward from respective rear regions of the pair of supportframe portions 44 a, 44 b. The cross member 48 extends in a left-rightdirection of the vehicle 10, and connects the pair of support frameportions 46 a, 46 b to each other adjacent their respective centerregions via brackets 54 a, 54 b. The seat frame portion 50 in the frontrow includes frame lower portions 56 a, 56 b arranged in the left-rightdirection of the vehicle 10; and frame upper portions 58, 60, 62arranged in the left-right direction of the vehicle 10 at a positionhigher than the frame lower portions 56 a, 56 b. The seat frame portion52 in the rear row is located at a position more rearward than the seatframe portion 50 in the front row, and includes frame lower portions 64a, 64 b arranged in the left-right direction of the vehicle 10, andframe upper portions 66, 68, 70 (see FIG. 1) arranged in the left-rightdirection of the vehicle 10 at a position higher than the frame lowerportions 64 a, 64 b.

The roll-over protection cage 22 is disposed above the front row 12, therear row 14, and the steering wheel 28. Referring to FIG. 6, theroll-over protection cage 22 includes a pair of side cage portions 72 a,72 b extending in the fore-aft direction, and roof members 74, 76, 78extending in the left-right direction.

The pair of side cage portions 72 a, 72 b are preferably each U-shapedor substantially U-shaped in a side view, and include cage fore portions80 a, 80 b and cage rear portions 82 a, 82 b, respectively. The cagefore portions 80 a, 80 b include rear end portions connected torespective front end portions of the cage rear portions 82 a, 82 b. Thecage fore portions 80 a, 80 b include lower end portions (fore endportions) connected to respective upper end portions (fore end portions)of the support frame portions 44 a, 44 b. The cage rear portions 82 a,82 b include lower end portions (rear end portions) connected torespective upper end portions (rear end portions) of the support frameportions 46 a, 46 b. The support frame portions 44 a, 44 b and the cagefore portions 80 a, 80 b are connected to each other, respectively; thecage fore portions 80 a, 80 b and the cage rear portions 82 a, 82 b areconnected to each other; and the cage rear portions 82 a, 82 b and thesupport frame portions 46 a, 46 b are connected to each other. Eachconnection is made by fasteners (including bolts and nuts), for example.

Each of the roof members 74, 76, 78 connects an upper portion of theside cage portion 72 a and an upper portion of the side cage portion 72b. Specifically, the roof members 74, 76, 78 are disposed from front torear in this order. The roof member 74 connects an upper portion of thecage fore portion 80 a and an upper portion of the cage fore portion 80b to each other via connecting portions 84 a, 84 b; the roof member 76connects the upper portion of the cage fore portion 80 a and the upperportion of the cage fore portion 80 b to each other via connectingportions 86 a, 86 b; and the roof member 78 connects an upper portion ofthe cage rear portion 82 a and an upper portion of the cage fore portion82 b to each other via connecting portions 88 a, 88 b.

The vehicle 10 further includes a pair of support portions 90 a, 90 b,and cross members 92, 94.

The pair of support portions 90 a, 90 b preferably have a rod shape, andconnect the frame portion 20 and the roll-over protection cage 22 toeach other. The pair of support portions 90 a, 90 b are adjacent to arear region of the seat frame portion 50 in the front row 12 in thefore-aft direction of the vehicle 10, extend in the up-down direction onthe left and on the right sides in the width direction of the vehicle10, and connect the pair of support frame portions 44 a, 44 b and thepair of side cage portions 72 a, 72 b to each other. Specifically, thepair of support portions 90 a, 90 b include lower support portions 96 a,96 b and upper support portions 98 a, 98 b, respectively. The lowersupport portions 96 a, 96 b include upper end portions connected torespective lower end portions of the upper support portions 98 a, 98 b.The lower support portions 96 a, 96 b include lower end portionsconnected to the support frame portions 44 a, 44 b, respectively, atcentral regions or substantially central regions of the plate frameportion 42 in the fore-aft direction. The upper support portions 98 a,98 b include upper end portions, respectively, connected to rear-endregions of the cage fore portions 80 a, 80 b. The lower support portions96 a, 96 b include upper end portions connected to lower end portions ofthe upper support portions 98 a, 98 b by fasteners (including bolts andnuts), for example. The lower support portions 96 a, 96 b include lowerend portions connected to the support frame portions 44 a, 44 b, whereasthe upper support portions 98 a, 98 b include upper end portionsconnected to rear-end regions of the cage fore portions 80 a, 80 b.These connections are made by welds, for example.

Referring also to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the cross member 92 extends in thewidth direction (left-right direction) of the vehicle 10 between thefront row 12 and the rear row 14; and includes a center portion (aportion corresponding to the seat portion 138 of the front row) in thewidth direction of the vehicle 10 that is U-shaped or substantiallyU-shaped in a plan view so that the center portion is located at aposition more rearward than the remaining portions on its two sides. Thecross member 92 connects the pair of support portions 90 a, 90 b to eachother via connecting portions 100 a, 100 b. Referring to FIG. 6, FIG.10, and FIG. 11, each of the connecting portions 100 a, 100 b isconnected to a corresponding one of the upper support portions 98 a, 98b using a plurality (two, in the present preferred embodiment) offasteners (including bolts and nuts) 101, such that the cross member 92is connected to the pair of support portions 90 a, 90 b at positionshigher than centers, in the up-down direction, of the pair of supportportions 90 a, 90 b. Although FIG. 11 shows the fasteners 101 only onthe connecting portion 100 b side, the same arrangement is provided onthe connecting portion 100 a side too.

On the cross member 92, mounting portions 102, 104, 106 protrude upward.The mounting portions 102, 104, 106 are respectively located tocorrespond to seat portions 136, 138, 140 in the seat unit 24 in thefront row 12, which will be described below. Headrest portions 156, 160,164 of the seat unit 24, which will be described below, are respectivelyattached to the mounting portions 102, 104, 106. Between the mountingportions 102 and 104, a first support portion 108 and a second supportportion 110 are connected to the cross member 92. The first supportportion 108 is U-shaped or substantially U-shaped and includes two endportions connected to the cross member 92. The second support portion110 is U-shaped or substantially U-shaped and includes two end portionsconnected to the cross member 92. The first support portion 108protrudes upward from the cross member 92, whereas the second supportportion 110 protrudes downward from the cross member 92. In the presentpreferred embodiment, the second support portion 110 is provided on thecross member 92 so as to sandwich an area where the first supportportion 108 is located on the cross member 92. The first support portion108 includes an upper portion, and on a forward facing side thereof amounting portion 112 is attached. The second support portion 110includes a lower portion, and on a forward facing side thereof amounting portion 114 is attached. The cross member 92 and the secondsupport portion 110 are connected to each other by L-shaped orsubstantially L-shaped grab bars 116, 118. Specifically, the grab bar116 includes one end portion attached to an end portion (left endportion) of the cross member 92, and another end portion attached to aleft region in the second support portion 110. The grab bar 118 includesone end portion attached to another end portion (right end portion) ofthe cross member 92, and another end portion attached to a right regionin the second support portion 110. Thus, the cross member 92, the secondsupport portion 110, and the grab bar 116 define an annular structure,and the cross member 92, the second support portion 110, and the grabbar 118 define an annular structure thus fixing the grab bars 116, 118rigidly to each other.

Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, the cross member 94 extends in the widthdirection of the vehicle 10, and connects respective rear regions of thecage rear portions 82 a, 82 b of the roll-over protection cage 22 toeach other. The cross member 94 includes support members 120, 122 and124. The support member 122 is U-shaped or substantially U-shaped in afront view of the vehicle, and is located at a center region in thewidth direction of the vehicle 10. The support member 120 connects thesupport member 122 and the cage rear portion 82 a to each other viaconnecting portions 126 a, 126 b, whereas the support member 124connects the support member 122 and the cage rear portion 82 b to eachother via connecting portions 126 c, 126 d. Also, mounting portions 128,130, 132 are fixed at respective center regions of the support members120, 122, 124. To the mounting portions 128, 130, 132, headrest portions186, 190, 194 of the seat unit 26 are respectively attached, which willbe described below. Referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 16, the support member122 includes an upper end portion located at a position more rearwardthan the support members 120, 124. Therefore, the mounting portion 130is located at a position more rearward than the mounting portions 128,132. Also, on the support member 122, a mounting portion 134 extendsobliquely upward between the mounting portion 130 and the connectingportion 126 b (see FIG. 4). To the mounting portion 134, a shoulderanchor 260 (see FIG. 15), which will be described below is attached.Referring to FIG. 6, the support member 122 includes two end portionsconnected to the rear frame portion 40 via connecting portions 126 e,126 f. Due to the arrangement described above, the cross member 94 isattached to the cage rear portions 82 a, 82 b of the roll-overprotection cage 22 and to the rear frame portion 40 of the frame portion20.

Referring to FIG. 9, FIG. 12, FIG. 13 and FIG. 16, the seat unit 24 inthe front row 12 includes a plurality (for example, three, in thepresent preferred embodiment) of seat portions 136, 138, 140 arranged inthe width direction of the vehicle 10. In the width direction of thevehicle 10, the seat portion 138 is located at a center of the seat unit24. In other words, the seat portion 138 is adjacent to the seat portion136 and is adjacent to the seat portion 140 in the width direction ofthe vehicle 10. When viewed from the seat portion 138, the seat portion140 is located on a side spaced apart from the seat portion 136.Referring to FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, the steering wheel 28 is located infront of the seat portion 136. In other words, in the present preferredembodiment, the seat portion 136 is a seat portion for the driver,whereas the seat portions 138, 140 are seat portions for passengers. Inthe present preferred embodiment, the seat portions 136, 138, 140represent the first seat portion, the second seat portion, and the thirdseat portion respectively.

The seat portion 136 includes a seat bottom portion 142 that supports aperson from below, and a back support portion 144 that supports theperson from behind. Likewise, the seat portion 138 includes a seatbottom portion 146 and a back support portion 148, and the seat portion140 includes a seat bottom portion 150 and a back support portion 152.The back support portion 144 includes a seat back portion 154 thatsupports a back of a person, and a headrest portion 156 that supports ahead portion of the person. Likewise, the back support portion 148includes a seat back portion 158 and a headrest portion 160, whereas theback support portion 152 includes a seat back portion 162 and a headrestportion 164. The headrest portion 156 of the seat portion 136, theheadrest portion 160 of the seat portion 138, and the headrest portion164 of the seat portion 140 are attached to the mounting portions 102,104 and 106 on the cross member 92, respectively. Since the mountingportion 104 is located at a position more rearward than the mountingportions 102, 106, the headrest portion 160 is located at a positionmore rearward than the headrest portions 156, 164.

Referring to FIG. 9, FIG. 15, and FIG. 16, the seat unit 26 in the rearrow 14 includes a plurality (for example, three, in the presentpreferred embodiment) of seat portions 166, 168, 170 arranged in thewidth direction of the vehicle 10. In the width direction of the vehicle10, the seat portion 168 is located at a center of the seat unit 26. Inother words, the seat portion 168 is adjacent to the seat portion 166and is adjacent to the seat portion 170 in the width direction of thevehicle 10. When viewed from the seat portion 168, the seat portion 170is on a side spaced apart from the seat portion 166. In the presentpreferred embodiment, the seat portions 166, 168, 170 are for passengersin the rear row 14.

The seat portion 166 includes a seat bottom portion 172 that supports aperson from below, and a back support portion 174 that supports theperson from behind. Likewise, the seat portion 168 includes a seatbottom portion 176 and a back support portion 178, and the seat portion170 includes a seat bottom portion 180 and a back support portion 182.The back support portion 174 includes a seat back portion 184 thatsupports aback of the person, and a headrest portion 186 that supports ahead portion of the person. Likewise, the back support portion 178includes a seat back portion 188 and a headrest portion 190, and theback support portion 182 includes a seat back portion 192 and a headrestportion 194. The headrest portion 186 of the seat portion 166, theheadrest portion 190 of the seat portion 168, and the headrest portion194 of the seat portion 170 are attached to the mounting portions 128,130, 132 on the cross member 94, respectively. Since the mountingportion 130 is located at a position more rearward than the mountingportions 128, 132, the headrest portion 190 is located at a positionmore rearward than the headrest portions 186, 194.

Referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 12, FIG. 15, and FIG. 16, the pair of shoulderbolsters 30 a, 30 b are arranged on respective outer sides at a left anda right end regions of the seat unit 24 in the front row 12. The pair ofshoulder bolsters 32 a, 32 b are arranged on respective outer sides at aleft and a right end regions of the seat unit 26 of the rear row 14.

Referring to FIG. 9, FIG. 12, FIG. 14 and FIG. 16, the vehicle 10further includes a plurality (for example, three in the presentpreferred embodiment) of three-point seat belt units 196, 198, 200 forthe front row 12. The seat belt units 196, 198, 200 correspond to theseat portions 136, 138, 140, respectively.

The seat belt unit 196 includes a belt member 202, a winding device 204to wind the belt member 202, a shoulder anchor 206 that slidablysupports the belt member 202 that is pulled out of the winding device204, and a buckle portion 208 that fixes the belt member 202 by engaginga tongue (not illustrated) of the belt member 202. The winding device204 is attached to an upper end portion of the lower support portion 96a via a bracket 210 at a position lower than the cross member 92. Theshoulder anchor 206 is attached to a central region or a substantiallycentral region, in the up-down direction, of the upper support portion98 a via a bracket 212, at a position higher than the cross member 92but at a position lower than an upper end of the headrest portion 156.The winding device 204 and the shoulder anchor 206 are located atpositions sandwiching the cross member 92 therebetween, with the windingdevice 204 disposed below the shoulder anchor 206. The buckle portion208 is adjacent an upper surface of the seat bottom portion 142 of theseat portion 136 and adjacent an upper surface of the seat bottomportion 146 of the seat portion 138, and is connected to the frame lowerportion 56 a of the seat frame portion 50 via a connecting member 214.The buckle portion 208 is located at an obliquely downward position fromthe shoulder anchor 206 in the front view.

The seat belt unit 198 includes a belt member 216, a winding device 218to wind the belt member 216, a shoulder anchor 220 that slidablysupports the belt member 216 that is pulled out of the winding device218, and a buckle portion 222 that fixes the belt member 216 byengagement with a tongue (not illustrated) of the belt member 216. Thewinding device 218 is attached to the second support portion 110, whichis fixed to the cross member 92, via the mounting portion 114 at aposition lower than the cross member 92. The winding device 218 isconnected to a back surface of the mounting portion 114. The shoulderanchor 220 is attached to the first support portion 108, which is fixedto the cross member 92 via the mounting portion 112 at a position higherthan the cross member 92 but lower than an upper end of the headrestportion 160. The shoulder anchor 220 is connected to a front surface ofthe mounting portion 112. The winding device 218 and the shoulder anchor220 sandwich the cross member 92 therebetween. In other words, the crossmember 92 is between an upper end of the shoulder anchor 220 and a lowerend of the winding device 218 in the front view. The winding device 218is located below the shoulder anchor 220. The winding device 218 issupported by the cross member 92 via the mounting portion 114 and thesecond support portion 110, whereas the shoulder anchor 220 is supportedby the cross member 92 via the mounting portion 112 and the firstsupport portion 108. The buckle portion 222 is adjacent an upper surfaceof the seat bottom portion 146 of the seat portion 138 and adjacent anupper surface of the seat bottom portion 150 of the seat portion 140,and is connected to the frame lower portion 56 b of the seat frameportion 50 via a connecting member 224. The buckle portion 222 islocated at an obliquely downward position from the shoulder anchor 220in the front view.

The seat belt unit 200 includes a belt member 226, a winding device 228to wind the belt member 226, a shoulder anchor 230 that slidablysupports the belt member 226 that is pulled out of the winding device228, and a buckle portion 232 that fixes the belt member 226 by engaginga tongue (not illustrated) of the belt member 226. The winding device228 is attached to an upper end portion of the lower support portion 96b via a bracket 234 at a position lower than the cross member 92. Theshoulder anchor 230 is attached to a central region or substantiallycentral region, in the up-down direction, of the upper support portion98 b via a bracket 236 at a position higher than the cross member 92 butat a position lower than an upper end of the headrest portion 164. Thewinding device 228 and the shoulder anchor 230 are located at positionssandwiching the cross member 92 therebetween, with the winding device228 disposed below the shoulder anchor 230. The buckle portion 232 isadjacent an upper surface of the seat bottom portion 146 of the seatportion 138 and adjacent an upper surface of the seat bottom portion 150of the seat portion 140, and is connected to the frame lower portion 56b of the seat frame portion 50 via a connecting member 238. The buckleportion 232 is located obliquely below the shoulder anchor 230 in thefront view.

Referring to FIG. 12 through FIG. 14, the winding device 204 and theshoulder anchor 206 of the seat belt unit 196 are covered from behind bya cover member 239 a. The cover member 239 a is attached to the lowersupport portion 96 a and the upper support portion 98 a of the supportportion 90 a. The winding device 218 of the seat belt unit 198 iscovered from behind by a cover member 239 b. The cover member 239 b isattached to the second support portion 110. The winding device 228 andthe shoulder anchor 230 of the seat belt unit 200 are covered frombehind by a cover member 239 c. The cover member 239 c is attached tothe lower support portion 96 b and the upper support portion 98 b of thesupport portion 90 b.

Referring to FIG. 9, FIG. 15, and FIG. 16, the vehicle 10 furtherincludes a plurality (for example, three in the present preferredembodiment) of three-point seat belt units 240, 242, 244 for the rearrow 14. The seat belt units 240, 242, 244 correspond to the seatportions 166, 168, 170, respectively.

The seat belt unit 240 includes a belt member 246, a winding device 248to wind the belt member 246, a shoulder anchor 250 that slidablysupports the belt member 246 that is pulled out of the winding device248, and a buckle portion 252 that fixes the belt member 246 by engaginga tongue (not illustrated) of the belt member 246. The winding device248 is attached to a central region or substantially central region inthe up-down direction, of the support frame portion 46 a of the mainframe portion 36, and to a left end region of the cross member 48 via abracket 54 a (see FIG. 5) adjacent a rear end of the seat bottom portion172 of the seat portion 166. The shoulder anchor 250 is attached to aleft end region of the support member 120 of the cross member 94 and toa central region or substantially central region, in the up-downdirection, of the cage rear portion 82 a of the side cage portion 72 avia a connecting portion 126 a at a position lower than an upper end ofthe headrest portion 186. The winding device 248 is located below theshoulder anchor 250. The buckle portion 252 is adjacent an upper surfaceof the seat bottom portion 172 of the seat portion 166 and adjacent anupper surface of the seat bottom portion 176 of the seat portion 168,and is connected to the frame lower portion 64 a of the seat frameportion 52 via a connecting member 254. The buckle portion 252 islocated obliquely below the shoulder anchor 250 in the front view.

The seat belt unit 242 includes a belt member 256, a winding device 258to wind the belt member 256, a shoulder anchor 260 that slidablysupports the belt member 256 that is pulled out of the winding device258, and a buckle portion 262 that fixes the belt member 256 by engaginga tongue (not illustrated) of the belt member 256. The winding device258 is attached to a region of the cross member 48 that is slightly tothe left of center in the width direction of the vehicle 10 (between theseat portions 166 and 168 in the front view) via a bracket 54 c (seeFIG. 5) adjacent a rear region of the seat bottom portion 176 of theseat portion 168. The shoulder anchor 260 is attached to the supportmember 122 of the cross member 94 via the mounting portion 134 at aposition lower than an upper end of the headrest portion 190. Thewinding device 258 is located below the shoulder anchor 260. The buckleportion 262 is adjacent an upper surface of the seat bottom portion 176of the seat portion 168 and adjacent an upper surface of the seat bottomportion 180 of the seat portion 170, and is connected to the frame lowerportion 64 b of the seat frame portion 52 via a connecting member 264.The buckle portion 262 is located obliquely below the shoulder anchor260 in the front view.

The seat belt unit 244 includes a belt member 266, a winding device 268to wind the belt member 266, a shoulder anchor 270 that slidablysupports the belt member 266 that is pulled out of the winding device268, and a buckle portion 272 that fixes the belt member 266 by engaginga tongue (not illustrated) of the belt member 266. The winding device268 is attached to a central region or substantially central region, inthe up-down direction, of the support frame portion 46 b of the mainframe portion 36, and to a right end region of the cross member 48 via abracket 54 b (see FIG. 5) adjacent a rear end of the seat bottom portion180 of the seat portion 170. The shoulder anchor 270 is attached to aright end region of the support member 124 of the cross member 94, andto a central region or substantially central region, in the up-downdirection, of the cage rear portion 82 b of the side cage portions 72 bvia a connecting portion 126 d at a position lower than an upper end ofthe headrest portion 194. The winding device 268 is located below theshoulder anchor 270. The buckle portion 272 is located adjacent an uppersurface of the seat bottom portion 176 of the seat portion 168 andadjacent an upper surface of the seat bottom portion 180 of the seatportion 170, and is connected to the frame lower portion 64 b of theseat frame portion 52 via a connecting member 274. The buckle portion272 is located obliquely below the shoulder anchor 270 in the frontview.

Returning to FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, the vehicle 10 further includes apair of suspension assemblies 276 a, 276 b that suspend the pair offront wheels 16; an engine 278; a rotation transmission portion 280 thattransmits rotation of the engine 278 to the pair of front wheels 16; apair of suspension assemblies 282 a, 282 b that suspend the pair of rearwheels 18; and a rotation transmission portion 284 that transmitsrotation of the engine 278 to the pair of rear wheels 18. The frontframe portion 38 supports the pair of suspension assemblies 276 a, 276 band the rotation transmission portion 280. The rear frame portion 40supports the engine 278, the pair of suspension assemblies 282 a, 282 b,and the rotation transmission portion 284. Therefore, the front frameportion 38 supports the pair of front wheels 16 via the pair ofsuspension assemblies 276 a, 276 b, whereas the rear frame portion 40supports the pair of rear wheels 18 via the pair of suspensionassemblies 282 a, 282 b. In the present preferred embodiment, thesuspension assemblies 276 a, 276 b, 282 a, 282 b preferably include adouble wishbone type suspension assembly, for example. The cargo bed 34is also supported by the rear frame 40.

The vehicle 10 further includes a transfer mechanism 286 that transmitsmovements of the steering wheel 28 to the pair of front wheels 16. Thetransfer mechanism 286 is preferably any appropriate conventional rackand pinion type transfer mechanism, for example.

According to the vehicle 10 described above, the frame portion 20 andthe roll-over protection cage 22 are connected by the pair of supportportions 90 a, 90 b that extend in the up-down direction and areconnected to each other by the cross member 92. This makes it possibleto improve the rigidity of the vehicle 10 as a whole and to securely fixthe cross member 92 in the vehicle 10 even if the vehicle 10 isincreased in size in the fore-aft direction by including the front row12 and the rear row 14 arranged in the fore-aft direction. In addition,the cross member 92 that is securely fixed to the vehicle 10 is locatedbetween an upper end of the shoulder anchor 220 and a lower end of thewinding device 218 in the front view. Therefore, it is possible todispose both of the shoulder anchor 220 and the winding device 218adjacent the cross member 92, and to securely support the shoulderanchor 220 and the winding device 218 by the cross member 92. The crossmember 92 extends in the width direction of the vehicle 10 between thefront row 12 and the rear row 14, while the cross member 92 connects thepair of support portions 90 a, 90 b to each other at positions higherthan their centers, in the up-down direction, of the pair of supportportions 90 a, 90 b. This makes it possible to dispose the cross member92 sufficiently above the seat surfaces (upper surfaces of the seatbottom portions 172, 176, 180) of the seat portions 166, 168, 170 in therear row 14. As a result, it is also possible to dispose the windingdevice 218, which is located at a position lower than the cross member92, sufficiently above the seat surfaces (upper surfaces of the seatbottom portions 172, 176, 180) of the seat portions 166, 168, 170 in therear row 14. In other words, neither of the cross member 92 and thewinding device 218 is disposed at a position lower than the knees of thepassengers sitting in the rear row 14, and the arrangement ensurespassenger comfort in the rear row 14 (see FIG. 7 and FIG. 13).

Each of the first support portion 108 and the second support portion 110is securely connected to the cross member 92 at two locations, i.e., atboth end portions thereof. Also, each of the first support portion 108and the second support portion 110 is preferably U-shaped orsubstantially U-shaped. This makes it possible to attach the shoulderanchor 220 to the first support portion 108 so as not to protrudeoutward beyond an outer perimeter of the first support portion 108, andto attach the winding device 218 to the second support portion 110 so asnot to protrude outward beyond an outer perimeter of the second supportportion 110. Therefore, it is possible to protect the shoulder anchor220 and the winding device 218.

Each of the grab bars 116, 118 includes one end portion attached to thecross member 92. This fixes the position of these end portions of thegrab bars 116, 118, preventing the grab bars 116, 118 from protruding inthe width direction of the vehicle 10. The grab bars 116, 118 includeother end portions attached to the second support portion 110. Thisarrangement mutually enhances the connection strength of the grab bars116, 118 and the second support portion 110 to the cross member 92.

Since the support portions 90 a, 90 b and the cross member 92 areconnected by the fasteners 101, it is easy to remove the cross member 92from the support portions 90 a, 90 b when the vehicle 10 is to betransported. This makes transportation of the vehicle 10 easy.

The seat portion 138 includes the headrest portion 160, and the crossmember 92 overlaps the headrest portion 160 in the front view.Therefore, it becomes possible to easily support the headrest portion160 of the seat portion 138 in the front row 12 by the cross member 92.

In the width direction of the vehicle 10, the shoulder anchor 220 andthe winding device 218 are located adjacent the seat portion 136. Inother words, the shoulder anchor 220 and the winding device 218 arelocated on a side closer to the seat portion 136 when viewed from theseat portion 138. Therefore, this arrangement sufficiently reduces swayof the passenger sitting in the seat portion 138 toward the seat portion136. Thus, the driver drives the vehicle 10 more comfortably.

In the preferred embodiments described above, description was made for acase where the seat unit 24 preferably includes a plurality of seatportions 136, 138, 140 that are individual components from each other,and the seat unit 26 includes a plurality of seat portions 166, 168, 170that are individual components from each other, for example. However,the seat unit may include a plurality of seat portions that are integralwith each other. Therefore, preferred embodiments of the presentinvention are also applicable to vehicles that include bench seats.

In the preferred embodiments described above, description was made for acase where the seat back portion and the headrest portion are separatefrom each other and defined by individual elements. However, the seatback portion and the headrest portion may be integral with each other.

In the preferred embodiments described above, description was made for acase where the seat unit 24 preferably includes three seat portions 136,138, 140, and the seat unit 26 includes three seat portions 166, 168,170. However, the number of the seat portions in the seat unit is notlimited to the preferred embodiments described above. For example, theseat unit may include four or more seat portions.

In the preferred embodiments described above, description was made for acase where the vehicle 10 preferably includes a pair of rear wheels 14.However, the vehicle may include two or more pairs of rear wheels.

The present invention being thus far described in terms of preferredembodiments, preferred embodiments of the present invention may bevaried in many ways within the scope and the spirit of the presentinvention. The scope of the present invention is only limited by theaccompanied claims.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will beapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scopeand spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention,therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle comprising: a pair of front wheels; apair of rear wheels; a frame supporting the pair of front wheels and thepair of rear wheels; a first seat portion, a second seat portion, and athird seat portion supported by the frame and arranged side by side in awidth direction of the vehicle; a roll-over protection cage disposedabove the first seat portion, the second seat portion, and the thirdseat potion, and supported by the frame; a pair of supports extending inan up-down direction of the vehicle, disposed on a left side and a rightside in the width direction of the vehicle, and connecting the frame andthe roll-over protection cage to each other; a cross member connectingthe pair of supports to each other; and a seat belt corresponding to thesecond seat portion; wherein the first seat portion includes a firstseat bottom and a first seat back; the second seat portion includes asecond seat bottom and a second seat back; the third seat portionincludes a third seat bottom and a third seat back; the second seatportion is located between the first seat portion and the third seatportion; the second seat bottom is separate from the first seat bottomand the third seat bottom; and the second seat back is separate from thefirst seat back and the third seat back.
 2. The vehicle according toclaim 1, wherein the seat belt is a three-point seat belt.
 3. Thevehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first seat portion includes afirst headrest; the third seat portion includes a third headrest; andthe first headrest and the third headrest are attached to the crossmember.
 4. The vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a fourthseat portion, a fifth seat portion, and a sixth seat portion located ata position more rearward than the first seat portion, the second seatportion, and the third seat potion, respectively, supported by the frameand arranged side by side in the width direction of the vehicle; whereinthe fourth seat portion includes a fourth seat bottom and a fourth seatback; the fifth seat portion includes a fifth seat bottom and a fifthseat back; the sixth seat portion includes a sixth seat bottom and asixth seat back; the fifth seat portion is located between the fourthseat portion and the sixth seat portion; the fifth seat bottom isseparate from the fourth seat bottom and the sixth seat bottom; and thefifth seat back is separate from the fourth seat back and the sixth seatback.
 5. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the roll-overprotection cage is disposed above the fourth seat portion, the fifthseat portion, and the sixth seat potion.
 6. The vehicle according toclaim 4, further comprising a three-point seat belt corresponding to thefifth seat portion.
 7. The vehicle according to claim 4, wherein thecross member extends in the width direction of the vehicle between afront row of seats including the first seat portion, the second seatportion, and the third seat portion and a rear row of seats includingthe fourth seat portion, the fifth seat portion, and the sixth seatportion.
 8. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each of the pairof supports includes a lower support and an upper support.
 9. Thevehicle according to claim 1, wherein the roll-over protection cageincludes a pair of cage sides extending in a fore-aft direction, androof members connecting the pair of cage sides to each other.